Communicating to Influence: Effective Consulting Strategies and Model Building Techniques

1. MQM 326Ch 7 & 8 Thinking Like a Consultant From Insight To Impact: Communicating To Influence

2. Model Building • Asking the 5 whys • Determining and listing the issues • Developing and issue tree

3. Senge’s Ladder Of Influence • We observe things • We select what to pay attention to • We make assumptions and attribute meaning to our observations • We make inferences and draw conclusions • We take action

4. Model Building • We all do it, however, some are better than others • Disciplined thinking is the key, along with • The degree of attention we pay to the process, and • our past training and experiences

5. Causal Models • A backward chain of cause-event relationships • These are either positive (increase in one causes and increase in another) • Or negative (an increase in one causes a decrease in another) • Caveat (rarely will a problem be rooted in only one underlying cause)

6. Systemic Models • Consists of interdependent elements that act on each other in ways that produce more than a linear chain of actions and reactions, and so generates outcomes that are difficult to anticipate from simple cause-effect reasoning.

7. Systemic Models • Call attention to; • Unanticipated effects of actions • Hidden or latent variables • Time lags between cause and effect • Mutual interdependencies • Virtuous cycles/ vicious cycles

8. Building A Unique Model • Listing—Identifying all issues that are seemingly related to the “effect” • Pruning– Eliminating issues that are too highly related or un-measurable • Clustering– Grouping related issues together into larger categories and factors and eliminating duplicate issues. • Linking—Connecting related issues through directed causal links

9. Building A Unique Model • Use this approach (Systemic Model0 especially with problems that lack clarity, many factors are relevant, and there is disagreement over which are key issues

10. Best Practices For Reports or presentations • Should be used as a thinking tool • Should be the basis on which the project is managed, tasks are allocated, and progress is checked • Should have a strong framework or model

11. Best Practices For Reports or presentations • Should be written in persuasive story like narrative • Focus not on the process but rather the impact of the analysis • Keep the audience firmly in mind at all times

12. Rhetoric • The art of communication in order to persuade • Who is my audience? • What do they want to hear? • What is their knowledge base? • What do I want them to understand or do differently? • How can I best get them to hear or understand me?

13. “Telling Stories” • Creating effective narratives for communicating, understanding, and motivating changes of belief and action

14. Communicating • Begin with original framework or model • Build an argument or narrative on that foundation • Remember that this is a selling process

15. Logic • Horizontal logic– the overall structure of the document, report, or presentation • Vertical logic– relates to each idea or point as a discrete whole with data arranged and organized in a compelling manner to support the central idea or point • Key is balance between the two

16. The Consulting Report: Format And Logic • The format of the report drives the main argument • It indicates which ideas or data are of equivalent importance, and which are subordinate • It shows how these ideas support the key points or arguments of the report

17. The Consulting Report: Format And Logic (Book Examples) • Page • Headline or Header • Dot Point (Or Bullet Point) and Dash Point • Trailer or Footer • Facer Page

18. Editing • Create temporal distance from the document • Utilize colleagues for editing • Always edit from the “top down” • To test horizontal logic, concentrate on the headlines • Be attentive to the audience’s perspective

19. Editing • To test vertical logic, examine the relationship between the headline and the rest of the page, is the headline supported directly and effectively? • Pay attention to graphics, Make sure that they relay the point immediately and effectively

20. Graphics • Above all else, show the data • Maximize the data-ink ratio • Erase non-data ink • Erase redundant ink • Revise and edit

21. The Report • Remember that the report is not an end in itself but rather a means to an end • Focus your efforts on trying to ensure that the audience hears, understands, and is willing to act on your ideas.